Hey readers, it’s rock/pop writer Jenna here! Choosing these top 10 songs is one of the hardest things to do, I struggle for an answer when asked to pick just one favourite song, and even then it changes from day to day. I decided that the best way to do this was focus on songs that had some sort of personal meaning and a bit of a story to tell, which I’ve included. I hope you enjoy listening to these tracks and learn a little more about me. Let me know if any of them would make your top 10 too.
Go:Audio – Made Up Stories
As cheesy as it is, this song changed my life. Go:Audio were the band who got me into rock music, which is why I’m as passionate about music as I am. I saw them supporting Scouting For Girls (who are seriously awesome even though they didn’t make my list) in 2008 with my family, and when we started telling people how amazing they were they recommended listening to rock music. That just started the snowball rolling. Now, I kinda owe knowing over half my closest friends to Go:Audio.
30 Seconds To Mars – From Yesterday
Ahhh, the days when I loved Jared Leto. Not gonna lie, it was this video that got me into this song, and this band. No matter how much 30 Seconds To Mars change their sound, image or attitude, this tune will always be one I hold close to my heart. Aside from Go:Audio, this song was the final push I needed, finally persuading me that even songs in which vocalists scream need to be given a chance. It’s one of those track that I will always remember where I was when I first heard it. And it will always be a wonderful memory.
Spice Girls – Stop
This is here for some good old nostalgia. Spice Girls were the first band I grew attached to growing up as a 90’s kid. I have a wonderful home video of three year old me singing (with no track to back me up might I add) and dancing to this song. Yes, I knew all the words and all the dance moves. This is something I refuse to be ashamed of. Proud til the end!
Papa Roach – Carry Me
You know sometimes when you listen to an album for the first there’s that one song that just jumps out to you? Well, on Metamorphosis ‘Carry Me’ was that song. And it just so happened that I was planning my first tattoo at the time, and one lyric just seemed to fit it so perfectly. So not only is this song amazing, it’s the most beautiful and simplistic way a rock song can be, it holds memories of my first tattoo.
My Chemical Romance – The Kids From Yesterday
Again, this is one of those songs that I fell in love with as soon as I heard it, and then fell even more for when I saw it live for the first time. I can’t quite put into words what this song meant to me but it definitely spoke to me and I decided I needed the lyric ‘You only hear the music when your heart begins to break’ tattooed on me. I planned on leaving it a while before getting inked, to make sure I really wanted it. Then the worst happened. They were one of my favourite bands, one of my ‘big three’, a band I had loved since my appreciation of rock music had developed, and they were over. All of a sudden ‘The Kids From Yesterday’ meant something very new and very real to me. It was no longer a question of would I get the tattoo, but when.
Twin Atlantic – Make A Beast Of Myself
Twin Atlantic were a band I was always aware of. Lightspeed and What Is Light… were always on my radar, but it was Make A Beast Of Myself that made me sit up and say “Why the fuck am I not paying more attention to this band?”. It was one of those songs I couldn’t stop tapping along to, always trying to pick out the odd little beats on the drums. It was the first song I taught myself to play. Needless to say I was a little proud of that.
Jessie J – I Miss Her
Despite my thing for rock music, I will always have a soft spot for the soppy songs, and what better way to record a soppy song than with a powerful vocal and beautiful piano accompaniment. It’s one of those songs that makes my hair stand on end and sends shivers down my spine; all those clichés. I just love it when you can really feel the passion in someone’s performance.
Paramore – Ain’t It Fun
Yes, it is. When this song comes on I just have to dance around like no one’s watching, without a care in the world. I don’t actually think it’s physically possible to be sad while listening to this song. I always loved it but it’s another one of those that is heightened by experiencing it live. When you can dance like no one’s watching in a huge arena, full of other people dancing, instead of alone in your bedroom, or while cooking in the kitchen.
Michael Buble – Home
Michael Buble is an artist who just seems to have always been in my life. I don’t remember when I first discovered him or anything like that, but his voice is flawless and one of the few things from my pre-rock days I still (and will probably always) love. I had to think about the song choice for a while, it was either this or Everything because they were two of the first I remember hearing. I decided on Home for another shot of nostalgia as a friend and I seemed to be followed around by this track on a school trip to Italy. It will now always remind me of that wonderful week with one of my best friends. And, you know, who can resist those power house vocals, eh?
You Me At Six – Lived A Lie
I can’t put this into words. If you happen to bump into me on the streets and ask me ‘What’s your favourite song?’ I won’t hesitate to answer with Lived A Lie by You Me At Six. I genuinely think, at this moment in time, it’s the best song I’ve heard. When it was first released I listened to it, non-stop for two days straight. Then I assumed I’d get bored of it and wait for one of my favourite bands to release more but no. Somehow, every time I listen to it, it feels like the first, only now I know all the words and most of the drums. I still feel butterflies in the pit of my stomach when it comes on. Roll on 2014 and the release of Cavalier Youth!
